After exploring Canyonlands and Arches National Parks a year ago, a group of friends and I decided to venture further into Utah’s red rock country and explore the 100-mile long … Read more

Tucked away in the heart of the Caingorms, Badaguish Outdoor Centre offers accommodation in a secluded forest setting near Aviemore. Spacious chalet-style buildings are complemented by well equipped wigwams and … Read more

Music Pass (11,500 ft) was so named because of the rumored musical sounds that can be heard as the wind passes over Music Mountain and the other surrounding peaks that guard the Upper Sand Creek Basin. Located in the Sangre de Cristos, a chain of mountains that run from southern Colorado through northern New Mexico, the basin sits at the northernmost end of the Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve.

They bear down on me, slicing a line through the soggy woods in their thick-rimmed glasses, mossy green jackets and moleskin shoes. Sleeping mats and bleary-eyed gazes explain the previous … Read more

A few summers ago I ventured with my two buddies Marc and Ed to one of the most barren and northern parts of Europe, Sørøya in northern Norway. We had … Read more

Founded in 1942 in Sweden, Thule are the favoured accessories brand by a number of car manufactures. As well as having their own adventure team, Thule are also revered for their styling products which are nows the hallmark of any weekend adventurer. The brand’s collection caters caters for summer and winter adventure pursuits, covering carriers for snowsports, watersports and cycling.

What distinguishes the Haglöfs design of such a travel bag from its competitors, is that despite its simplicity, it packs an almost limitless variety of possible uses. This means that as your required demands of a primary storage gear change with the time of day, the environment or climate, or even just your location, you will always be able to rely on the adaptable Travel Pouch for safe preservation of your most valuable possessions and documents.

Choosing camping and trekking gear often prompts the most heated debates between bulk and comfort. The ProLite sleeping mattress from Therm-a-Rest seems to straddle the divide well, mediated by a … Read more

Rab actually make two topbags, the first is called the Module and does without the hood. The second is the Neutrino SL, made slightly warmer by extra filling and a trapezoidal construction

As the sun peaks over the horizon to illuminate the golden marshmallow clouds above, I can hear a motorbike roaring in the near distance. While finishing up my last bite … Read more

It all started with a phone call in the dark depths of the Scottish winter. Fed up with the snow on the ground, fellow MJ blogger, Richard Lawes had got an itch he had to scratch. Richard had devised a plan to carryout a proper mountain bike expedition, spanning several days and taking in some varied terrain. After agreeing on some dates and penning them in the diary the maps came out.

I arrived in downtown Steamboat during a few weeks before London’s 2012 Olympics utterly bewildered – a Brit lost at sea. A few days before flying arriving to the Mile … Read more

On a recent trip to Ben Nevis, Scotland, I tested Quechua’s 2Seconds Easy Tent to investigate the practicalities of a self-erecting tent and its performance in the typically turbulent Scottish Highland weather.

Mine-heaps and tollgates are what the average tourist would remember from the Mpumalanga province in the Northern parts of South Africa, but there certainly is more to it. The ‘Highveld’ (translated as Highfield), as this part of the Rainbow Nation is locally known, plays host to a different kind of beauty than what you would find in the more commercial Southern parts. Those seeking adventure while experiencing the true African wildlife are sure to be pleased on the relatively new Num-Num trail near Machadodorp, Mpumalanga.

TORQ are a UK-based fitness consultancy that specialise in training and nutrition. Owing to the success of their performance coaching which started in 1999, TORQ moved into performance products to complement their existing services.

Last September, a small group of friends and I decided to conquer the infamous Four Pass Loop, a 26.5 mile tour of the Maroon Bells – Snowmass Wilderness in the White River National Forest. The Loop not only challenges both physical and mental stamina, but takes you deep into one of the most breathtaking regions of Colorado.

In June this year I went on a five-day mini cycletour of Northern Scotland. The aim of this trip, outside of being a good adventure and opportunity to see some different parts of Scotland, was to learn the ropes before embarking on a longer trip the following July. I wanted to assess how my kit performed and identify any weaknesses, to see if I go insane in my own company and to see what sort of distance I could cover. With a reasonable base bike fitness, I was not too concerned about the riding but the other aspects of the cycle touring which were largely new to me.

For those who relish the more unusual and obscure adventure trips,  a visit to the shrinking Aral Sea is well worth the journey. Labelled as the ‘biggest man-made disaster’ in … Read more

When I was asked to review Marmot’s Sawtooth sleeping bag I jumped at the chance, Marmot has a reputation of producing some of the world’s finest down sleeping bags. I wasn’t going to be disappointed with the Sawtooth, a down sleeping bag rated to have a lower comfort of -9oC. Marketed as an all-rounder I felt sure the Sawtooth would be great for a Scandinavian Spring/Autumn bag and equally at home for Scottish winters.

Mountain Safety Research (MSR) describe the 4-season Asgard tent as “the most liveable, 2-person expedition shelter we’ve ever made”. In order to assess this claim and put the tent through some rigorous testing, Christian Hacking and I took the Asgard to Switzerland.